Disclaimer – April 17, 2022
Life can turn on a dime, or at least mine seems to. The below is at least two years old. The biggest change is my creativity has shifted to writing books instead of songs. You can read about that in the blog posts.
I am thankful for my past but am more interested in my present and future. I am focused on this blog and writing a book. And then – there’s my Zen life of gardening, mostly perennials and flowers from seeds, and photographing birds. I quilt when I need to focus or need to get my mind off of something else. More about all of that later, too.
I am known for mentoring songwriters, artists, and others. Garth Brooks credits me with being “where it all began”. He and I cowrote “Burning Bridges” which is on his multi-platinum CD and featured in his first anthology. He talks about me in his first documentary. It has been my honor to be with him on his journey. He says I discovered him, but more about that later. I founded and hosted Circle of Friends Songwriters Show in Nashville and more recently Muscle Shoals Circle of Friends Song Circle. I co-founded Soup and Song Symposium with the city of Florence, Alabama. More about all of that later, too. If I had a job, I would say it is songwriting. At least I write enough hours to count as at least a part time job! I am highly trained since I have been a songwriter for many, many years. I am now retired from my real job – teaching English.
I have bipolar disorder. I joke that I am the Bipolar poster child because for over twenty-five years I have coped successfully. My mantra is Eat, Sleep, Take Meds. I was in the hospital, the lockdown wing, when I was first diagnosed. Since then I have not been without a psychiatrist. I am outspoken and willing to share. No one should feel shame about having Bipolar Disorder although it is hard not to. It is a double-edged sword . I believe I owe much of my creativity to it, but the mood swings are hard to handle, especially when I bottom out. They are often not situational and happen often and unexpectedly. More about that later, too.
Please, subscribe and follow!
Looking forward, Stephanie C